Is Jaitapur a safe site for nuclear power plant?
29 Apr, 2013An application was filed with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know about the safety of the nuclear plant proposed to be set up at Jaitapur.
The reply from the department contains Report no 3: Assessment of sites for locating nuclear plants, a document hitherto kept confidential by the government. The document indicates that the site is not fit for a nuclear plant, an assessment that contradicts the claim of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) regarding the safety of the proposed plant.
The NPCIL had contended that Jaitapur nuclear power plant would be protected from the tsunamis by the 90-ft high plateau. However, the DAE report states that the plateau won’t be sufficient to protect the site as it is made of basalt-derived laterite. The report also mentions that the Jaitapur coastline is prone to erosion as suggested by the large number of boulders strewn below the cliff.